So you've lost your bird, have you? And you're wondering just what do I do now? Maybe this can help.

First of all, feeling guilty is a luxury you can't afford right now. You simply have to move on and take action immediately. There will be time for feeling guilty later. Do not give up and do not lose hope. You are not the first one this has happened to and you will not be the last. You simply must remain optimistic and expect to find your bird. Your friend is lost right now and needs you to help find him. She is relying on you. Birds are found all the time and are reunited with their companions quite often.

Have a plan in place before hand if you can so that if this does happen to you can move quickly instead of having to figure out what it is you need to do next.

Have a picture in your files of your bird and know his or her band number and any special identifiable marks or colorings.

If you do not find your bird right away, do not lose hope or give up. Three days seems to be the time when birds will come out of hiding and show up at a back yard bird feeder. This is when they become hungry enough to overcome their fears of coming out of hiding.

Every time you make a phone call, ask for a suggestion. It may be something you already know or have heard before but you may hear something new or something you have heard may just trigger a new idea or another contact. Always, always ask for suggestions. It not only engages the person in your search but you can learn something. Keep a list of whom you have called and call them back periodically (even twice a week) to see if they know anything. They get busy too and don’t always call back although they have meant to. Make a list of whom you have contacted and put them on your schedule to call.

Leave your bird's cage out in plain view. Birds have been known to just fly into the next yard or to fly some distance and turn around. Seeing their cage will give them a known and friendly place to land. Don't forget to keep seed and water in it.

Online Resources:

Lost and found postings should be consistent and the same across the various bulletin boards just because it is easy to keep track of and it gives everyone the same message in the same way. This is really important as you do not want to confuse people with multiple listings about the same bird. Many, if not most, of the individuals involved with lost and found do this on their own time. And there are many birds that are lost and found on any given day. Let’s make things a little easier for them to help you. Here are some web sites to contact:

1. 911 Parrot Alert: http://911parrotalert.com/index.asp -- this should be your first posting. Copy to paste the entry for use on other boards; it will simplify your notifications and provide consistency.
2. Pet Finder: http://content.petfinder.com/classifieds/searchClassified.cgi?type=L
3. Craig’s List: http://craigslist.org -- go to your city: community: lost+found and post an entry.
4. If you belong to any other lists or groups, ask your moderator if you may post a lost message regarding your bird. Don’t be surprised if the answer is no. Some moderators just want the list to be about the subject matter. You need to respect this and move on.
5. Bird Hotline: http://www.birdhotline.com/replost.htm
6. Pets 911: http://www.1888pets911.org/services/lostandfound/
7. Pets Missing in Action: http://www.pmia.com/
8. Avian Welfare Resource Center: http://www.avianwelfare.org/links/lostfound.htm -- lots of great information here.
9. Missing Pet Network: http://www.missingpet.net/
10. Email your friends and ask them to email their friends and so on. Remember, the key is visibility. But do try to keep it local.

1. All vets, avian or not, for at least a 10 mile radius. As time goes by, extend that to a 25 mile radius then 50 and 100. What is important here is you are providing visibility. Someone visiting their vet and coming in with a dog or a cat or a rabbit will see the information and may be aware of a neighbor or friend or relative who has found the bird and is taking care of it. There are also people around who will keep the bird and not know what to do but will try to take care of it. There are also some who just want to keep it.
2. When you notify vets, call them first to ask if the bird has been reported in any way. People will call to ask what to do, especially, if they think the bird has been injured. The vet will probably refer them to an emergency animal hospital, or a bird rehabber, or an avian vet before asking them to come in. Then ask if you could email them or fax them information about the bird and ask them to post it and keep an eye out. Below is a typical fax. Keep it friendly and personable so that they will remember it and be more willing to engage in helping you. If you need a listing of the vets in the surrounding area, contact your local Veterinarian Medical Board or call your vet and ask for names and or suggestions. Every time you call a vet, ask for advice. You will learn something every time. You can also google veterinarians and your zip code or animal rescue and your zip code.
3. Notify your local ASPCA, HSUS, and local animal shelters. And call them every single day.
4. Notify the police department.
5. Talk to your neighbors and give them a flyer with the bird information. Preferably your fax flyer.
6. Talk to your mail carrier.
7. If you have any wildlife rescue organizations or rehabbers in the area, notify them and fax or email the information to them. Use your fax flyer. Wildlife rehabbers can be a great resource. It would not be unusual for there to be just one or two rehabbers for birds. Bird rehabbers are not all that common because there are more federal requirements for them but google bird rehabbers or go you your state government website and look for them as they may need to be licensed. In NC they must be licensed. A Congo African Grey may be a familiar bird to you but I assure you that not everyone knows what this bird is and if they see one at their bird feeder, they are probably going to call someone.
8. Post the flyer in the neighborhood and go to other streets and not just your own.
9. Consider calling one of yor local TV or Radio stations and ask for the human interest editor. If there isn’t one, tell the person what has happened and ask for suggestions. Always, always ask for suggestions. Make that telephone call count.
10. Kids are a great resource to help search the neighborhoods but be very, very careful getting their help. Be sure you speak to their parents; don’t just ask them off the street. Their safety is paramount and it is essential that their parents are involved and know what is going on. This will protect you as well.
11. The local Audubon Society.